


fleeting thoughts

by arleaux



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cashier Bokuto, DJing and being a plug is a Sarukui line of business, Essentially this is hide and seek in a public grocery store, First Job, Fluff and Humor, Go for it., He needs liquid courage, High School, M/M, One Shot, Pining Bokuto Koutarou, monster ultra?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29821533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arleaux/pseuds/arleaux
Summary: In which Bokuto's immense crush on Akaashi gets too strong to bear, so he gets a job at the store to distract him from it. All is well until a random Sunday, when he can't escape the Keiji curse and all the customers that watch his turmoil.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	fleeting thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Will I ever stop making old people and objective strangers ship these two? Yes. The time isn't now.
> 
> This can be read as a standalone; you'll notice similar traits in "my, your wisteria". Enjoy.

Lately, Akaashi had been on the mind.

Bokuto's mind always had him in there somewhere, but nowadays, it was more than reminders and moments where Akaashi was funny when he tried. Things like how Akaashi's cheeks got kind of round when he smiled started to motivate him during fourth period, instead of the sticky notes that Akaashi pasted to Bokuto's back on the way out of practice.

It made him nervous, because he never experienced such thoughts about someone like that before. Maybe he thought someone was cool, or radical when they helped him find free stuff online. 

But never pretty. Akaashi wasn't anything less than a pretty boy with a firm, sassy mind and a gracious heart that Bokuto could no longer bear to act natural around. Stupid sticky notes, sticking to his back like his feelings.

His brain didn't work right when his thoughts drifted to how curly and nice Akaashi's hair looked on Wednesdays or when he wondered why Akaashi always ran with an extra skip when they sold desserts in the cafeteria. One of those days, he almost walked into a stop light thinking of how to greet Akaashi on the way to school. It wasn't a sign for anything that first time, but then he swerved around it the next day too. 

It was so cruel, how all this was happening his senior year. He already had other stuff to think about, like how he was going to go about becoming a pro in his sport, stay on top of his grades, and be a decent team captain, but there was still enough room in his head to write a mental essay about how mind-boggingly amazing Akaashi Keiji was in almost every category. 

Bokuto needed a distraction from those fleeting thoughts, so he got a part-time job at the number one place teenagers flock to for work; the local grocery store. He had some friends he met in middle school work there, so they acted as his connections and helped him land a simple job as bagger and cashier. 

Overall, the job did pretty well as a means of pulling himself away from his headspace. It was fast-paced, just like volleyball, and only gave him time to think about exchanging cash and counting coins, or really weird things people decided to buy. There was all sorts of items he never knew existed until he rang them up, such as cookie cutters of questionable shapes, blue vegetables, and books about growing your own business. He had to escape to the break room to laugh at it that day because all of those items went into the same bag. 

This evening, he clocked in on a Sunday. It was a hectic time for shoppers and workers alike because of the way mankind tended to put everything off until the final day of the week. Bokuto was completely fine with the hectic part; he'd probably get a raise if his boss saw him handling everything well, and more distractions meant less time for his fleeting thoughts.

Upon starting his shift, his friend at the other station beside him pointed out how different he looked. "Yo Bokuto-kun, you wake up late?" He asked. This was Naji Sarukui, the Sarukui at Fukurodani's cousin. He was an upperclassman back when Bokuto was a freshman, and now he still works at the local mart as he develops his main thing. KuiBeats was going to be a hit, he was sure of it. 

"Yeah," Bokuto told him, "remember before you graduated when there was student year reviews and the practice trip going on at the Nekoma gym? It's that time."

"Damn, rest in peace then. Why didn't you take the day off? You didn't even style your hair right this morning, should this raise concern?" His friend joked while double checking his register. Bokuto unlocked the cash slots of his own using the key he had on his lanyard. "I like this job, and I'm not the type to miss out on a perfectly good day of work." Lies. He was totally the type to miss out and he knew it. After all, Bokuto was completely aware of the fact he was putting so much extra work into his agenda as a proper escape from his anguishing mental sprees of painfully romantic nature.

Akaashi bad, groceries good. 

He ran a hand through his crunchy, limp, and half up hair. Bokuto fell asleep the night before without showering, and he was in too much of a rush to do so in the morning. Luckily, he didn't worry about appearances as much as he usually did. The grocery store was rarely frequented by anyone who went to his school, since he lived on the other side of the school zone. He mostly saw more distant friends or grandmas who knew his own. 

Shuffling boots, creaky cart pushes, and monotonous beeping filled the room. A perfect background for focus. The smell of plastic and the hue of the store's bright white light made the store strongly similar to the setting of a dying insurance firm, but with more granite. 

"Kun, help me look for the condensed milk! I can't reach it in the other aisle." 

Bokuto overheard the elderly woman call for her grandson. As he issued someone their credit card, he thought it was sweet how the kid came to help out. 

"I'll meet you in a moment, obaachan. Would you like the cart or the basket? I can bring both if you'd like. It would save us time." 

Bokuto thought he knew that voice. It was calm, lovely. He wanted to hear more of it.

"Patience, Keiji! Now grab the cart and meet me in aisle four." Upon hearing such a name, Bokuto took back that desire. 

There were only two Keijis with an interesting voice that he knew of: Haino Keiji and Akaashi Keiji. He knew it wasn't Haino, because he was some psychedelic musician from the 70's who provided elementary school Bokuto's nightmare fuel. 

Akaashi bad. Now, groceries bad. 

This was bad. 

This was 'dream boy was there and Bokuto looked like he got dragged at the zoo' bad. 

Bokuto detected a distinct pair of footsteps out of the rest of the fifty people who were getting their bags and in and out the store. He ducked.

"Bokuto-kun?" Naji asked. Bokuto raised a hand from over the counter and made a firm hand gesture that they made up back in school; it meant shut up. The other shrugged and got back to work. The customer Bokuto was helping was confused the ordeal, but was polite enough not to bring anything up yet.

Slowly, Bokuto slid some change over the counter. _"Four hundred yen. Enjoy your day, miss,"_ he whispered. She grabbed her change, slightly alarmed by the rambunctious boy's odd behavior and slid away. "Naji," Bokuto tried to call outside of the radar. 

"What is it, Bokuto-kun?" 

"Don't use my name!" He murmured. "Not here. It's dangerous. Do you perhaps see a guy over there?"

"There's like twenty of them, Einstein-kun. Describe him."

"Gorgeous." 

"Ah," he squinted over to Akaashi, who was obliviously trying to separate two baskets from each other, "then yes. You scared of him?"

"Uhuh, something like that. Let me know when he's in aisle four, please." 

"You got it." 

Bokuto waited, and some passerby shoppers skipped over his station under the impression that there was no cashier attending it. Naji made a noise at Bokuto.

"Alright, he's gone." Naji motioned Bokuto to get up, so he did so and cracked his back while he was at it. Too soon, however. Akaashi walked back out of aisle four, and Bokuto immediately shot back down like his life depended on it. 

"Sorry, obaachan," he talked into his cellphone. "Yes, I now know you said cart, and— no. My hearing is not worse than yours. No I am not talking back. Thank you, I'll go to aisle eleven with the cart." 

Bokuto heard an object being shoved into someone's pocket, which he assumed to be that cell phone, and waiting for the sound of another rolling cart out of the other ten being drawn out. When he did, he slowly poked his head back up from the counter. When Bokuto saw the back of Akaashi's head disappear behind the shelves in the distance, he stood back up fully. Then, three angry customers with a boatload of items waiting to be purchased tapped their heels. 

He quickly apologized to the group and began scanning the items, shuffling things into a bag neatly and quickly.

"Hello, how are you?" He asked the first purchaser. "Did you find everything you needed today?" The customer rolled his eyes. 

"Did you find everything _you_ needed today? What the hell was that?!"

"Complicated developments," Bokuto solemnly disclosed. "Five thousand yen, please."

"Right," the customer said as he forked over the cash. Bokuto took it and quickly dispersed the change, then wished him off. The customer didn't look back, and Bokuto turned to the next guest. 

"Hi, how are you doing today?" 

"I'm doing well.. thank you."

"Did you have a pleasant shopping experience?"

"Relatively pleasant, yes."

"Great," Bokuto chanted. He moved the lady's fourteen items into the bag and rang it up, and exchanged payment. He didn't usually ask customers whether or not they'd prefer him to walk with them to their cars because people often arrived by train or simply walked, so he didn't bring it up this time either. Bokuto thanked the woman and moved on to the final person in line; a cross lady with over forty items. 

Nervously, he greeted her with a smile and promptly got to work. She watched him like a hawk, ensuring that the bread wasn't placed in the same bag as the milk. If that happened, Bokuto had no idea what could've meant for him. He watched her adjust her outdated half-moon glasses, but looked away.

"Did you.. have a pleasant shopping experience?"

She nodded, so he felt compelled to nod back. "Nice, nice," he murmured. Once everything was bagged to her satisfaction he looked at the bags, and back at her. She seemed to have everything under control. Perfect. 

Then, the sound of a heavy cart approached. It wheeled his way towards his station and once again he heard that stellar, haunting voice. Bokuto bent over towards the lady and offered his hand. "Ma'am, may I help you with your bags today? It would be an honor." 

She heaved one over her shoulder. "I think I got it, thank you." He shook his head, and as he leaned a bit closer Bokuto glared at the customer in fear. "Ma'am, that wasn't an offer, that was a _prayer,"_ he ushered through his smile. "Please get me out of here. I need air..need.. sunlight...photosynthesis....leaves.." He hoped that whatever the act he was pulling would work. The woman panicked and tossed him a bag.

At long last, his escape tactics finally worked for once.

Immediately, he rushed through the door with as many bags as he could possibly carry around himself. At any moment, a child could point at him, say "Christmas tree", and the public would take their word for it. "Which way to your car ma'am?" Bokuto looked around the parking lot, and she directed him to her vehicle.

He packed her stuff into the trunk, but before he tried to say goodbye after closing it, the woman wagged her finger at Bokuto. "Uh-uh, not yet. I have questions, it's the least you can do after the wait, kiddo."

This was worse than the bread and milk thing; Bokuto turned around, waiting to be scolded.

"Did you like that oddball boy over there?" She asked. 

"Boy? What boy? Naji?" He knew what she meant, but wasn't ready to hear her critiques. She shook her head, as he expected.

"No, aisle eleven boy. I thnk the whole store saw you playing wack-a-mole at your station, honey. Don't play coy with me, they have it all recorded on that little camera by the entrance."

He frowned. "You're not gonna fire me, are you?"

"Of course not. I want my bread separated from my cartons. It doesn't mean I'm evil. Is that what people think of me these days?"

"Sort of, I mean.. with the glasses and all."

She lightly tapped his shoulder with her equally evil handbag. "I thought it was trendy! You're one to talk, Einstein."

"Why does everybody keep saying that?!" Bokuto asked in both surprise and sadness, but the comparison was pissing him off. She pointed to his day-two hair.

"Anyways, I'll get going now. Thanks for the help." She hopped into her oversized volkswagen, pointed her fingers at her eyes, and then swung her wrist around to point to him. "Next time I see you playing funny at my favorite store, kid, I _will_ talk to whoever manages the place."

"Yes ma'am." He looked down at his cashier apron. 

"Make sure there won't be a next time and just go for it," she added. Bokuto contorted his face and looked back at the customer. "Eh?" He squeaked. She was already pulling out of her parking space, but she beeped and rolled down the window. "You heard me!" She shouted, and drove off to do something mistakenly evil people likely did. Definitely not church. 

He walked back inside, discomposed. He had already been out there too long, so he hoped no drama erupted at his station. Akaashi wasn't anywhere in site, so he fixed up his hair just in case.

_Man, since when did I get like this? I'm like, clammy and sweaty. Do I need to work out more? Gross._

He lifted his arm to analyze his scent in a subtle way that he didn't think would draw much attention. Apparently, he remembered to put on deodorant before he zoomed out the door that morning. Bokuto was quite thankful for that, because if Bokuto knew he didn't he would left the second he even thought Akaashi would be at the store that day.

He shook his face to wake himself up and greeted his next customer while . "Hi! How are you?" He pumped up the energy in his voice. 

"I'm fine, Bokuto-san. And you?" 

"Oh my _god_ you wouldn't believe what I've..eerrrggh." Bokuto froze, and Akaashi blinked back at him. Instinctively, Akaashi lifted up his arm to smell himself.

"Wait! Sorry Akaashi you don't stink. You probably smell like food or something. Really good food!" 

Akaashi put down his arm, unsure and guarded. "I would prefer not to smell like the inside of a Five Guys, but beggars can't be choosers." Bokuto's lungs dented; that wasn't what he meant at all. _Dude, pull it together and stop being horrible at this._

He took a deep breath and started scanning the items. 

"I didn't know you worked a job, Bokuto-san. When did you start?" Akaashi asked. Bokuto paused while sliding a bag of rice under the cart. "I haven't been working here long. Got the hang of it quick, though."

Akaashi nodded, hands pensively placed in front of himself. "Ah, it's nice that you have some free time to make money on the side. I'd like to work part-time, but I'm waiting until graduation because family stuff."

They didn't say too much after that. Bokuto was busy punching in numbers for certain items, while Akaashi fidgeted around on his phone. Amidst the silence, Bokuto got the chance to think again. Things were going surprisingly better than he expected them to.

He wasn't that nervous anymore, and his palms no longer felt wet. As Akaashi stood right in front of him, Bokuto felt completely calm. Back then, he was definitely overreacting. It was always the moments leading up to Akaashi's appearance that Bokuto actually started to panic.

Still, he felt something off during every interaction within those past months; hesitance. He always stopped himself from saying what he wanted to. Eventually, he knew he wouldn't be able to contain that feeling. For now, they were constantly evolving thoughts. But what about then? 

He finished scanning and putting everything in their respective bags. Now that he looked at what he was scanning, it all seemed to be relatively normal things. The Akaashis weren't planning on baking abnormally shaped cookies or make a start-up business. There were seven distinct cans of energy drinks all bunched together, though. Bokuto wondered who those were for. 

Akaashi grabbed the bag and separated one from the other six. "Here, I think you need it."

"Why?"

"It just looks like you're working hard, Bokuto-san. And the whole store was talking about a crazy eyed cashier hiding from me, so I assumed that was you. Well, let me rephrase that, not crazy. _Determined."_

Bokuto's face went hot. _He thinks I'm determined? No way, this can't be happening today. He shoots compliments all the time, but an unprovoked Akaashi at the grocery store? On a Sunday?_

There was a 43 percent possibility that this was his chance.

Right on time, Akaashi's grandma came trudging to the register; the other 57 percent. "Kun! You said you were in aisle eleven."

"I was, obaachan, but we're done now and we can check out," Akaashi explained. He exchanged Bokuto an apologetic look and waved over his grandma. Grandma 'Kaashi gave Bokuto a hard stare, colder than any tundra Bokuto had seen on television. There was something about wise old people that shot an arrow through him, but they were in the modern era and not in a poorly directed martial arts film. He didn't let that change his mind, however. This was the final boss.

A few moments later, her feigned stare would've looked intimidating if her smirk didn't say otherwise. 

"So _this is Bokuto-kun!_ You were right, he really is a handsome fellow—"

"Obaachan."

"Bokuto-kun do you think you c—"

"Obaachan, please you're being impolite."

"You're being impolite for interrupting me! Goodness, not letting your own grandmother talk to your captain." She sneered victoriously. "Ignore Keiji, Bokuto-kun. I hope we meet again soon, dear." 

She walked out the store and told Akaashi to use the card. Bokuto said his goodbyes to the bright lady and resumed bagging their stuff. Akaashi cleared his throat while digging for his credit card.

"Sorry Bokuto-san, my grandmother can be a bit overbearing at times," he said. "She's very.. cordial." 

"Haha, no worries! Thought she was gonna try to read my mind for a moment but she seems like a fun lady."

"You have no idea," Akaashi replied, and then pointed to the six remaining cans of Monster standing in one of the seven bags. He picked up yet another and opened it this time. "I mean to consume all of these in the next three days, I don't see why I can't start now." Bokuto, despite not being allowed to drink unbottled beverages on shift, did the same. He raised his can to make a toast. "To Sundays and determination," he caroled. Akaashi repeated after him and they both took a swig. 

Bokuto's mouth was way too dry from the baptism of fire he put himself through beforehand, so it was more or less tiny sips after this first taste. Akaashi swiped his card into the inserter, hastily trying to finish his drink before having to go back to the car. The receipt printed and Bokuto tore it from the rest of the paper to give to Akaashi.

"Here Akaashi, have a nice day, alright?"

"You too, Bokuto-san. I'm excited to see you next week."

_Next week. Was this it? Bokuto Koutarou you are the VICTOR of this pla—_

"Because we'll be visiting Nekoma for the training camp. I'll make sure to pack more drinks as well."

"Ah, right! Can't wait." 

Akaashi waved goodbye and exited the store, leaving a sad and entranced Bokuto resting his hand against the counter. Naji, who had seen the whole thing from behind his register, managed to stay silent that whole time. He pointed to the drink. "Ayo, if you're not gonna finish that, can I?"

Bokuto handed him the drink, told him "go for it", and Naji happily accepted the ice cold gift. 

_"Ugh, 'go for it', guys are you hearing this?"_ A customer asked. Bokuto shifted glances to the five carts waiting by his register. People were really testing him that day, thinking it was okay to mock him out of all the times they could've done so before Armageddon walked into the store. "Excuse me?" He asked, quizzically. The rest of the line leaned to the side to get a better look at their cashier. 

"Go for it. Just. . go for it, man," customer three advised. Another costumer interjected, one of Naji's customers; a well known regular at the store who was almost always in the produce section. "Yeah! What are you doing, wasting all this time? Go split a Monster with aisle eleven boy! God, I'm gonna throw up if I have to watch you two every week. Go for it!" 

"Bokuto-kun, get out of your head and go for it!" An employee from the bread aisle shouted from behind the shelves. One by one, more and more people who both worked and shopped added their own little "go for it"'s and chants of encouragement. Bokuto looked around in awe of all the unexpected support for his dramatic happenstance. 

"Go for it! Go for it, Bokuto!" Go for it. All those words were really quite simple, but it felt good to hear it outside of his own head.

Bokuto quit his job that evening. He told his employer that it had been a fun ride, but he had an academic world filled with never-ending theatrics and his favorite people to return to. As he left the store, he sent a short message to his vice-captain.

Hey Akaashi! don't worry about buying the drinks for practice, i got it **Sent**

 **Akaashi Keiji, 10:09 PM** Go for it. I'll be counting on you, Bokuto-san. 


End file.
